Sugarcreek Township's brand-new ambulance, bought with federal grant money and expected to hit the road by the end of March, is instead sitting idle at a local upfitter while a Department of Homeland Security review stalls payment. Until the logjam breaks, the volunteer service is still rolling out in a 2006 rig with more than 250,000 miles on it, a setup that has residents and first responders quietly wondering how long their luck will hold.
According to the Butler Eagle, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded Sugarcreek Township Ambulance Service a little over $280,000 to buy the new vehicle, and the township moved quickly to place the order after the mid-2024 approval. The ambulance was supposed to be delivered on March 30, but the DHS-related hold has blocked the vendor from finishing the sale and handing over the keys. Township officials say the FEMA grant is the only pot of money they can use for the purchase, which suddenly makes the timeline feel a lot tighter.
New rig sitting with regional upfitter
Right now, the ambulance is parked at GLICK Fire Equipment in Evans City, where the last bits of outfitting and paperwork are effectively on pause. The Sugarcreek Township Ambulance Service, based at 2030 State Route 268 in East Brady, says it provides both advanced- and basic-life support to parts of Armstrong, Butler, and Clarion counties, meaning that the sidelined rig is supposed to be a workhorse, not a showroom piece.
Township asks lawmakers for help
Township leaders told the Butler Eagle they have already gone to federal lawmakers for backup. Sen. John Fetterman filed a congressional request urging DHS to release the money and clear the way for delivery. DHS has said it could take up to 30 days to answer that inquiry, and the grant's performance period runs out in September, officials noted. Since the FEMA grant is the only way Sugarcreek can pay for the rig, township officials say they would call on nearby Karns City Regional Ambulance Service to cover emergency calls if their aging ambulance finally gives out.
Why the hold matters beyond Sugarcreek
The Sugarcreek headache fits into a broader trend of added reviews and pauses on federal grants that has slowed the flow of money to local emergency services and sparked court fights, as tracked by Just Security and laid out in a timeline from FireGrantsHelp. For now, Sugarcreek officials say they will keep pressing DHS and members of Congress while the new ambulance waits at the upfitter and local crews keep nursing the old rig through another tour of duty.
